On Twitter, the developers of League of Legends indicated what the next patch 13.6 should look like. The changes for the patch were shared on Twitter after a short experimental phase.
What will change with the patch? Riot Games has made some major changes with the recent patches. For example, they completely reworked the Champion Yuumi. However, she is already on the list of changes for the upcoming patch:
For Yuumi, the nerfs focus on the Q ability, which will cost more mana and be made slower. This will diminish her impact in the later game.
Vayne, Galio, Talon, and Ashe will be buffed – Although Nick “LS” De Cesare refers to all champs except Vayne as receiving a “placebo buff” that won’t change much.
The changes to the systems are mainly nerfs. These adjustments mainly concern healing in the game, thereby removing the option for ADCs to survive for too long with a lot of healing and shields.
The developers of Riot Games react in the patches to changes in the meta and excessively strong roles. Here we have embedded the patch notes for you:
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You can learn more about the relationship between MMR, rank, and league points here:
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LoL: Video shows the relationship between rank placement, MMR and league points
The Top Lane Should Brace Itself
What impact will the changes have for the top lane? This will be important for players who care about MMR and their ranking. The changes to Vayne are intended to improve her options at the start of the game and carry her into the late game.
Vayne is a champion who has always been known for destroying opposing tanks in the later stages of the game. However, the changes to her W ability are intended to reduce this. However, Vayne remains playable. These changes could make her attractive for the top lane.
The developer has already commented on the subject, stating that there is a possibility that Vayne could become too strong on the top lane. They probably already have changes in sight but want to wait and see how the patch develops.
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What about the patch in general? Coach and analyst Nick “LS” De Cesare commented on the changes and said that they are “way too little.” In his “Rundown” (via YouTube), he clarifies how the changes will behave individually.
The adjustments to the characters Galio, Talon, and Ashe are just “placebo buffs.” While they are necessary to make the champion strong again in their position, they are still not enough. The current meta is still too strong for that.
In the course of the patch, he believes that this patch, as it has been published so far, will not significantly impact the current meta. What do you think about this opinion? Let us know in the comments.
In Pokémon GO had a top raid event last weekend that went pretty wrong. Now the developers have spoken up. We at MeinMMO show you how Niantic plans to handle the faulty event.
What event is it about? On March 11, 2023, the popular top raids took place again in Pokémon GO. These are special raids that can only be played on-site and are supposed to be a bit more challenging than most regular raids. For the first time, the legendary dragon Pokémon Regidrago was available to catch.
But instead of having a cool event, trainers, especially in the first time zones, were plagued by numerous bugs. For example, they could not join the raids, did not receive the promised limited research, or had a catch circle that was too small for Regidrago.
A replacement event in New Zealand was supposed to provide compensation on March 12, but this also went horribly wrong. The same errors from the previous day reoccurred. Now Niantic has finally commented on the misery. We will show you what they have to say and what is now planned.
Niantic plans compensation
What did Niantic say? As the developers of Pokémon GO announced on the evening of March 16, 2023, via their Twitter account, they want to apologize to trainers for the faulty event weekend and plan to provide compensation.
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They write (via twitter.com): “Trainers, we apologize for the problems with the top raids over the weekend and the impact they had on your gaming experience. We are planning a way to make it up to trainers worldwide, especially those in the GMT +13 timezone. Please stay tuned for details.”
What compensation will there be? Niantic has not yet provided a specific indication of what the planned compensation will look like and when it will arrive. So, you will still have to wait a bit. However, it appears from the announcement that compensation is planned for all trainers. Thus, players here in Germany would also benefit from it.
Trainers fear “a free gift with potions, berries, and revives”
What do players say? While some players appreciate that Niantic publicly apologizes for the mistakes, others are disappointed that it took so long to respond. Particularly, the fact that a concrete idea of how and when a refund will occur has not yet been communicated frustrates the trainers.
Additionally, some have concerns that the compensation may only come in the form of simple items or by merely repeating the event. For instance, the following comments can be found on reddit (via reddit.com):
Kedem2: “How can it take almost 4 working days to formulate this response?”
AstrakanX: “And yet they can’t tell us what they will do or when they will do it…”
Qoppa_Guy: “What is your offer? A free gift with 3 potions, 3 berries, and 3 revives?”
A_Lone_Macaron: “And all they will do is schedule another weekend for these raids.”
Shipshaefter: “This is the first time in a long time that they have even remotely taken responsibility for an issue.”
Whether Niantic will really only compensate you with a few items or fix the errors and then make another attempt remains to be seen. As soon as there is official information about compensation, we will report it here on MeinMMO.
How was your top raid weekend? Were you able to play the raids without any issues, or did you also have to deal with bugs? And what kind of compensation would you wish for the failed event? Let us know here on MeinMMO in the comments and exchange ideas with other trainers about it.
Since March 6, players from Europe, America, and Japan can play the MMORPG Summoners War: Chronicles on Steam. It is well received there. Over 35,000 players have been simultaneously online so far – with a rising tendency – and it received 73% positive reviews overall. According to MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch, the game is more geared towards monster and hero collectors rather than hardcore MMORPG players.
What kind of game is this? In Summoners War: Chronicles, it revolves around collecting monsters that you can summon. You unlock these monsters through summons. While you can earn them to some degree, primarily you buy them. The monster obtained is then random – a typical gacha system like in Genshin Impact.
The players of Genshin and especially the other parts of Summoners War are much more the target audience than typical MMORPG players. The game features a bright anime graphics style, many upgrades, and a lot of randomness. There’s also a lot of autoplay, especially for the story and questing. No wonder, as it is primarily a mobile game.
Who is speaking here? Alex is the MMORPG expert at MeinMMO. He usually prefers to play Guild Wars 2, New World, and ESO. For this brief insight, he has played around 6 hours of Summoners War: Chronicles.
Summoners War: Chronicles starts off doing everything that hardcore MMORPG fans hate
Summoners War: Chronicles impresses with its numbers. It recently recorded over a million active players per day in Asia + Europe (via Summoners War). So, it was a must for me to check out the MMORPG.
During character creation, I have the choice of three characters:
Cleave is a tank and fights in melee
Oriba is a ranged DPS
Kina takes on the role of a healer
In the editor, I can adjust some options regarding appearance, so I don’t look like every other Cleave on the server. The cutscene at the beginning (voiced in English) and the graphics make a positive impression right away. But that changed quickly.
Already in the tutorial, I am guided as if I had never opened a game before. Every click is marked, every single step explained. Freedom and the urge to explore are immediately suffocated – also because you only follow a main quest for the first few hours.
In addition, the overcrowded interface, constant pop-ups for the shop, and far too many rewards are off-putting. I start off with 22 messages in my mailbox, all containing loot that I can’t do anything with yet.
The controls are also somewhat unfamiliar at first. I rotate the camera with the left mouse button and attack with the right. Intuitively, it should be the other way around for me. Fortunately, I can at least set it so that the camera will now rotate with the right mouse button.
The battles at first feel somewhat lackluster. I quickly get two monsters to summon, but they cause hardly any damage. I have three attacks and one auto-attack, but these don’t feel particularly impactful. I have the feeling that an action-packed combat system is just an illusion. Perhaps a turn-based combat system like in Summoners War: Sky Arena would have been better at this point.
What annoys me the most, however, is that I cannot jump or sprint. Both feel absolutely necessary, especially in uninspired running and kill quests. I especially miss the jump. However, a dodge roll is assigned by default to the space bar.
It’s really annoying that I often finish a quest, then have to click on “Continue Quest” on the right in the interface, to then immediately speak to the NPC where I previously turned in the quest. That feels like an unnecessary intermediary step.
Quickly, I find out why questing was not particularly varied. Starting from level 5, there’s auto-questing and auto-fighting. So, I no longer play myself, but let the game play itself. Here, the mobile game finally comes to the forefront.
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Summoners War: Chronicles Cinematic-Trailer
Collecting monsters and the cool element system
Over time, while the MMORPG plays itself, more and more systems are explained. Essentially, it revolves around collecting the right monsters, creating a solid 3-man team from them, and constantly upgrading and equipping them with runes.
There’s also personal equipment that can be upgraded as well. Here comes the first ray of hope. My character wears a weapon, which can represent various elements. Each element slightly changes my abilities and is crucial for dealing different amounts of damage to enemies. Water beats fire, fire beats nature, and so on.
However, during the battle, I can switch between all different weapon types. So, I have access to several skills from my weapon, along with two abilities per monster in my team. This brings some variety.
In addition, there are times when I do have to play myself, such as in solo dungeons and group raids. You experience the first raid at level 14, and it’s admittedly very simple. However, it’s supposed to get significantly more complex in the endgame. The correct team of monsters and players, as well as the right element for the weapon, will play a crucial role.
Gacha and expensive prices in the shop, yet still many good reviews
Despite the existing group content, I only felt a little MMORPG feeling in my first 6 hours of play. At many points, I was reminded of Genshin Impact, likely due to the gacha system, the element system, the graphics, and the photo mode.
Of course, there are dozens of Easter eggs and content that one already knows from Summoners War: Sky Arena. This is an online game from the same developer Com2us, which has a very similar game principle but focuses on turn-based combat.
However, amid the pop-ups, there are also repeated hints about the shop. Because there, I get extra rewards for each day that I spend money. New items and offers are also highlighted in bright red. Some packages are only available for a few hours and then change.
The shop is not cheap either. There are several packages for $26.99, $47.99, four packages for $99.99 (which you can buy three times a month), and both battle passes for $9.99 each.
The shop is regarded as problematic even by positive reviews. However, it’s said that everything can eventually be achieved as a Free2Play player. ScarletHeart writes: “Pay2Win if you want to sprint, Free2Play if you like to run a marathon.”
The constant upgrading of monsters and your character is very satisfying. There’s a constant feeling of progress.
The boss fights are said to be rather challenging in the endgame.
The game is primarily played by fans of the Summoners War series.
Although Summoners War: Chronicles strongly focuses on multiplayer elements, it does not seem to cater to traditional MMORPG fans, but rather to those who enjoy gacha and hero collectors. With over 100 monsters that can all be leveled up, enhanced, and developed, it does a lot right.
It seems that the 73% positive reviews are justifiable. Nevertheless, it does not meet the level I expect from mobile MMORPGs:
What do you think of Summoners War: Chronicles? Have you played it yourself? Will you give the game a try or does it simply not suit you? Feel free to share in the comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The pre-order beta of Diablo 4 starts on March 17. We asked a Diablo expert how he is preparing for it and what fans should try during the beta weekends.
Who is Wudijo? The streamer Wudijo is known on Twitch and YouTube mainly for his in-depth and diverse Diablo content. He has been dealing with theorycrafting for years and is part of the team of the renowned build site Maxroll.gg. On his channel, he posts guides and tips and is generally interested in everything related to Diablo.
Wudijo has already participated in previous closed beta tests for Diablo 4. We therefore asked him what his plans and expectations for the beta weekends are and what tips he would give to the fans.
Start video
Everything you need to know about the Open Beta in Diablo 4
“Now we stand on the threshold of a new era in the ARPG genre”
MeinMMO: What expectations do you have going into the beta as a long-time Diablo fan?
Wudijo: Since I have already seen the current beta almost 1:1 in December, I probably have a sharper eye for detail. I will pay attention to how the balance, systems, skills, etc. have changed since last time and what that means for the release and the game itself in order to create accurate guides for the community in a timely manner.
Besides that, I am of course extremely excited that it is finally here and everyone has the opportunity to try out the game themselves. I started with D2 and played D3 more than any other game. Now we stand on the threshold of a new era in the ARPG genre and I am extremely curious where the journey goes. We won’t experience such an experience for a long time.
MeinMMO: The betas are time-limited: What are the most important features that one should try out in the short time?
Wudijo: Definitely, one should try out all 5 classes a bit and take a look at the skill trees to get an overview.
Additionally, I would recommend playing through Act 1 and collecting all rewards from the Renown system, which automatically leads to contact with most features. Also, Blizzard has planned a World Boss event on both Saturdays. They are really cool and you shouldn’t miss it.
“Rogue is my main and by far the most interesting class for me”
MeinMMO: How are you preparing to get the most out of the beta?
Wudijo: I have been intensively involved with D4 for months, reading about mechanics, watching feedback and reports, and theorycrafting my builds for the release. This way, I can take some shortcuts during testing and immerse myself directly into the material, learn mechanics, check bugs from the past, uncover exploits, etc.
I have a long list of things I want to work through during the beta. Moreover, of course, enough sleep and snacks for the weekend, because I want to kick off with a 30h+ stream.
MeinMMO: Which class will you play first in the beta?
Wudijo: Rogue is my main and by far the most interesting class for me, so I will start with that. Overall, I plan to level all 5 classes at least 3-5 times to 25 over the two weekends to get a good overview of all possible builds.
We thank Wudijo for his tips and insights and wish him a lot of fun during his beta streams.
How are you preparing for the beta? Will you start this weekend or only at the open beta? What expectations do you have? Let us know in the comments.
Are you always running out of storage on your gaming PC? A manufacturer has now introduced a special SSD, but it’s not exactly cheap.
Storage space is always tight for gamers. Games keep getting larger, and you also need to store plenty of other things. It’s not surprising that players are looking for ever larger storage media.
The manufacturer Apex Storage has introduced a special solution here. A storage medium that you can expand with additional storage as you wish. However, it’s not exactly cheap and is therefore aimed more at professional users.
An adapter card that can cost up to 20,000 euros when fully outfitted
What exactly is this device? The special thing about it is that it is a so-called adapter card. You install the card in your computer and can fit up to 21 SSDs on the card with a total capacity of 168 TB. With 16 TB SSDs, even 336 TB should be possible.
According to the manufacturer, the card is supposed to be compatible with all major SSD manufacturers. Additionally, they promise a read speed of 30.5 GB/s and a write speed of up to 26.5 GB/s.
How much does such an SSD cost? However, it comes at a price as well. According to the manufacturer, you need to pay 2,800 US dollars just for the adapter card. For that money, you could already get a powerful gaming PC. On top of that, you’ll also need to buy the SSDs:
SSDs with 8 TB cost between 400 and 500 euros right now. With 21 SSDs, we’d already be at 10,500 euros.
For SSDs with 16 TB, the prices are significantly higher. So if you want the maximum configuration with 336 TB, you’ll have to lay down more than 20,000 euros.
Who needs something like this? For the average gamer, such a model is probably not an option. Instead, the manufacturer targets areas like machine learning, where a lot of space and high speed are needed.
Many bosses have long tormented the heroes in World of Warcraft. But 5 of them survived more attempts than all others.
Throughout the history of World of Warcraft, numerous boss fights have led to exciting races for the “World First.” However, balancing a final boss is quite a complex matter. Some raid bosses held up against several hundred attempts, while others had to give up the digital spoon after just a few dozen attempts.
The strongest final bosses could withstand the onslaught of professional guilds for many hundreds of attempts.
Note that in this list, the “number of attempts” refers to the value that the first guild needed to defeat the boss. If we were to total all attempts of all major guilds during this time, the number would be significantly higher. Furthermore, we always talk about the strongest available variant of the bosses – that is, heroic or mythic.
Rank 5: Archimonde
Expansion: Warlords of Draenor Raid: Hellfire Citadel Number of Attempts: 472 First Kill by: Method
Archimonde holds 5th place – ahead of many, many others.
Archimonde was not only the final boss of Hellfire Citadel, but also the last boss of the expansion “Warlords of Draenor.” With him ended the rather inglorious history of this addon, but the fight was one of the most challenging of all time.
Not only were there numerous phases and many additional enemies to defeat, but the raid coordination had to be exact as well. However, this was infused with a nasty amount of RNG – as it was randomly decided who was hit with a debuff and to whom it jumped. If the wrong players were affected here, it could directly mean a wipe.
Rank 4: Ragnaros
Expansion: Cataclysm Raid: The Firelands Number of Attempts: over 500 First Kill by: DREAM Paragon
Ragnaros in the Firelands – somewhat mocked for his feet, but otherwise deadly.
The fall of Ragnaros took place in a time when the races for the “World First” kill were not as publicly conducted as they are today. The current progress was not or only very limited streamed, and the documentation of all attempts also hadn’t taken place back then.
Therefore, estimating the second fight against the Firelord is quite difficult, but the statement of “over 500 attempts” was made.
Ragnaros was laughed at by the community back then. The Firelord specifically received feet for the high difficulty boss fight, which fueled a lot of memes at the time.
Expansion: Mists of Pandaria Raid: Siege of Orgrimmar Number of Attempts: 638 First Kill by: Method
One of the most popular villains of recent times: Garrosh.
The time of the Siege of Orgrimmar is considered the greatest content drought in the history of World of Warcraft and at the same time it was one of the hardest and longest raids ever.
Not only was the path to Garrosh paved with 13 other bosses, but the fight against the Warchief himself was divided into several phases with different locations. Guilds often only fought their way a few seconds into a new phase to achieve minimal progress.
No wonder that the Orc chief could only be judged after 638 attempts and Method claimed victory.
Rank 2: Kil’jaeden
Expansion: Legion Raid: The Tomb of Sargeras Number of Attempts: 654 First Kill by: Method
The Tomb of Sargeras was the “middle” raid of the Legion expansion and was well received by players, as they could earn re-releases of popular tier sets – in high resolution.
However, Kil’Jaeden, the commander of Sargeras, proved to be a particularly tough fight. This was not only due to the high damage and the many overlapping abilities, but also because of some nasty push mechanics that required reactions in fractions of a second if one didn’t want to fly off the platform. Accordingly, Method could only defeat this boss after 654 attempts.
Demon hunters had an easy time here, as they could simply fly back to the platform while other classes were catapulted into the afterlife. Therefore, this fight is also still seen by many in their minds as the “demon hunter end boss.”
Rank 1: Uu’nat
Expansion: Battle for Azeroth Raid: Crucible of Storms Number of Attempts: 731 First Kill by: Pieces
Uu’nat before the eye of N’Zoth – the most terrifying fight.
No boss lasted as long as Uu’nat. The harbinger of N’Zoth proved to be the longest-lasting boss to date when judged purely by the number of attempts required.
However, it should be noted that the race for the “World First Kill” of Uu’nat was virtually non-existent. The raid was merely a “mini-raid,” consisting of two bosses, and many of the big guilds were taking a break to prepare for the subsequent patch.
Nonetheless, this did not change the fact that Uu’nat proved to be extremely resilient, drove guilds en masse into madness, and could withstand 730 attempts before the guild Pieces managed to deliver the killing blow and complete N’Zoth’s trial.
Why this list? We already have a list of the 7 toughest end bosses that have survived the longest in World of Warcraft. However, the time was the decisive factor there, not the number of attempts that a boss needs. Since professional guilds today play much more efficiently and purposefully, achieving many dozens of attempts per day, a direct comparison with the past is only difficult. Therefore, we decided on an independent list that only considers the number of attempts.
Which of these lists you ultimately find more meaningful is up to you.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The survival hit Sons of the Forest is in Early Access on Steam and since the release, the developers have revealed quite a bit about their update plan. Find out on MeinMMO how things will proceed in the coming months.
Why is there no roadmap? Sons of the Forest will continue to be developed until its full release, and the people at Endnight Games have already answered several questions about upcoming content and changes.
The developers clarify: There will be no roadmap for Early Access. They take inspiration from player feedback and have many ideas for the game. However, they do not always know if things can be implemented. They do not want to disappoint players, and the element of surprise also plays a role.
However, this does not stop the developers from occasionally answering smaller questions about the future of Sons of the Forest. An English YouTube video from the channel “OnlyReformer” has gathered 25 questions and answers about the game, and here you will find the details.
Sons of the Forest can cause confusion and chaos at the beginning. Our video editor Anna and her crew experienced this:
Start video
Sons of the Forest: Fear, Laughter and a Teamkill after 30 Seconds – How Crazy Our First Hours Were
Sons of the Forest: Update Plan
How will updates be conducted in the future? Sons of the Forest will be updated every 2 or 4 weeks. In the main menu, you can see the update countdown at the top of the image.
The time between updates depends on what the developers plan for the next update. If it takes 4 weeks until the next update, you can also expect something bigger than in 2 weeks.
What is planned for Kelvin?The NPC anti-hero is supposed to help you even more. The developers mention several new tasks for Kelvin, including wall building, base repairs, and securing your structures.
What is planned for Virginia? The developers are working on refining her AI. She is supposed to become braver with a weapon in hand – also depending on how many enemies she has already taken down for you.
What new features are coming to the game? The developers explain that some “new” features are already partially in the game. These will be expanded, but they do not want to be too specific yet. However, some hints have already been dropped:
Sleds for collecting wood
Perhaps new types of logistics
New items: player feedback / developer ideas
Improved effects
A new enemy – perhaps more later
Dedicated servers
The developers do not want to be pinned down. They pay a lot of attention to feedback, analyzing their own and players’ ideas. They want to create a “cool game” without getting too specific at this point.
By the way, it is not planned to bring items known from the predecessor The Forest. The developers prefer to introduce new things. However, there are no mental restrictions – if something fits or is requested: Why not? That’s why the wood sled is making a comeback.
What is planned for the building system? Here, there should be a little more of everything. The cooking system will be deeper, there will be more possibilities for free building, and more blueprints for other buildings.
What is planned for the story? Currently, they are considering how to prevent some story rush runs. With the GPS map, you can find and complete everything in the game immediately, allowing you to finish the game in less than an hour. The developers want to address this but do not have a solution yet.
What is certain is: More areas to explore, more caves, more cutscenes, more emails with background information about the story will come. The story will be significantly expanded.
What is planned for the world? The world is supposed to become more alive. Therefore, they plan new animals and more communication / interactions among the cannibals. Additionally, more elements will be introduced to make the villages and camps of the cannibal tribes more vibrant.
How long is the Early Access expected to last? They still plan for 6 to 8 months. However, they do not want to be pressured by this. The goal is to create a good game.
If you have any comments, opinions, or questions about the future of Sons of the Forest, feel free to leave a comment. What would you like to add to the game, what might you still be missing, what would improve the game from your perspective?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Twitch streamer Nico “Sneako” De Balinthazy (24) has been mocking the streamer and YouTuber Charlie “Critikal” White (28) for months. Now he received a response and probably wishes he hadn’t said anything.
How did it all come to this? The dispute between the two streamers Charlie “Critikal” White and Nico “Sneako” De Balinthazy began as early as November 2022. As Critikal explains, Sneako spoke insultingly about him and his girlfriend.
He subsequently released a video explaining why he does not respect the streamer. Among other things, Sneako defended the controversial film “Cuties,” which faced heavy criticism for the sexualized portrayal of the young actresses.
With his criticism, he seems to have hit a nerve with the 24-year-old. The day after the video was released, Sneako appeared dancing and with a cigar in his mouth on the stream, waving a weapon. On the right side, the faces of the people Sneako felt insulted by were displayed.
Sneako waves a weapon on stream
After the stream, there were no major incidents for a while, but Critikal points out that the younger streamer repeatedly sent tweets with jabs in his direction. However, he largely ignored this.
Sneako provoked for months
How did the escalation happen? On March 12, 2023, Sneako posted the collage of his critics on Twitter and wrote that they wanted to “cancel” him. In response, Critikal tweeted a series of tweets where he expertly dismantled his opponent:
You literally made a collage of people who hurt your feelings on the internet. You haven’t stopped whining about me for months. Even if you were to beat me in a fight, that doesn’t change the truth.
The tweets received between 9.6 million and 26.9 million views, but it was still not enough for Critikal. Additionally, on March 15, he released a YouTube video where he talked down to Sneako for 15 minutes.
The video spread rapidly and made the hashtag #Sneako trend on Twitter. Numerous users shared quotes and clips of their favorite moments. Many viewers particularly enjoyed a moment where Critikal pulls out an assault rifle and schools Sneako on correct terminology.
Critikal puts streamer in his place
What is this excerpt about? In the excerpt, Critikal refers to the stream from Sneako, where he had threatened him with a weapon. In his stream, the 24-year-old mentioned that Critikal could watch his “clips” – a reference to the ammunition of his firearm and the term “clips” for excerpts from streams.
The 28-year-old YouTuber, however, is also apparently a gun enthusiast. In the video, he not only pulls out a handgun but also an assault rifle, and additionally teaches Sneako: They are loaded with a magazine, not with clips.
You can watch the entire video here:
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Today, the Guardians in Destiny 2 are expecting a longer downtime so that Bungie has time to fix bugs in the game that are currently spoiling the experience. We will tell you how long you cannot play on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PCand which bugs are on your favorite loot-shooter’s to-do list. Of course, with live updates.
What you need to know today: Destiny 2: Lightfall is still affected by several bugs three weeks after its release. Some of them Bungie could fix immediately while others require more attention from the developer, such as the invisibility bug.
That’s why Bungie has already been forced to postpone PvP events:
Thus, on this Thursday, March 16, the servers of Destiny 2 will go offline for Hotfix 7.0.0.5. For players, this means not only a longer background maintenance but also a new update for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.
MeinMMO will keep you informed about all known details of the downtime, tell you when you cannot play, and live update the progress of the maintenance.
Update Log
8:20 PM: All systems are running again. You can log in again. We wish you a lot of fun playing Destiny 2 and of course good loot.
8:10 PM: The login services are still overloaded, even though the Destiny servers are live again. You might have to wait a few more minutes.
8:00 PM: The patch notes have now been released. You can find them at the end of this article. A little teaser: The loot in Lost Solo Grandmaster sectors has been improved.
7:00 PM: The downtime will last another hour. But players can already download the new update. It is exactly 108 MB on PC.
3:45 PM: Destiny 2 is now offline, maintenance has begun. You can find the exact schedule Bungie has planned for today in this article.
Start video
Destiny 2: Lightfall – “Season of Resistance” trailer
Maintenance on 16.03. – All Times for Server Down
These times are important today: There’s a lot to do, so you will have to prepare for a longer downtime as Bungie reported via Twitter. You will not only be kicked from the game earlier but can also log in later than usual.
Here’s the exact schedule for maintenance:
At 3:00 PM German time, the maintenance work will start in the background on all platforms.
From 3:45 PM, the servers will go offline, and you will automatically be kicked from all activities.
At around 8:00 PM, the servers will be back online, and update 7.0.0.5 will be made available.
The ongoing background maintenance will officially end at 9:00 PM if everything goes smoothly.
Important: Even if you have downloaded the update and are back in the game, there may still be connection issues until the maintenance ends at 9:00 PM. You might also have to expect queues during login.
This is what the hotfixbrings today: Players in Destiny 2 are eagerly waiting for the bug fixes, having dealt with quite a lot of issues in recent weeks. They hope that Bungie will fix much of this really impressively long list, that even makes Telesto envious.
MeinMMO lists the known issues that Bungie is already aware of, as well as those our readers have pointed out to us. However, what will actually be fixed will only become clear with the patch notes.
What’s in the patch notes? The comprehensive list of all changes for Hotfix 7.0.0.5 will be published by Bungie in the form of patch notes. We will link them for you, as there might still be changes afterwards if Bungie adjusts or alters any statements.
What do you say about this list of bugs? Did you notice them all? Or just the worst ones? Let us know. And if you have noticed any other problems in the game that are spoiling your experience, feel free to leave a comment as well. The more errors are mentioned, the quicker they land on Bungie’s to-do list.
The tactical shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive may have been around for many years, but it is still very popular – and not just among gamers. Collectors are willing to pay huge amounts for cosmetic items.
What kind of skin is this? A player purchased a sought-after weapon skin on the Chinese version of Buff, a virtual marketplace for items from CS:GO and Badlanders. He paid 1,095,000 Yuan for the AK-47 skin “Wild Lotus,” which is roughly 150,000 Euros.
What’s the deal with the skins in CS:GO? Counter-Strike is primarily a tactical shooter, but it has also created a large market for cosmetic items. The skins come from loot boxes that can be earned. However, you still need a key to open them, which must be purchased.
The loot box system is controversial, as it resembles a form of gambling. Additionally, items can come from the box in varying conditions, affecting their value: “Battle-Scarred” lowers the price, while “Factory New” significantly increases it.
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Counter Strike: Global Offensive Trailer
Really a lot of money for 4 stickers
What’s special about this skin? The “AK-47 Wild Lotus Skin” is already quite rare: there are said to be only about 3,000 copies in the world. The version purchased by the collector is also “Factory New,” which already gives it a value in the five-figure range.
This special piece is also adorned with 4 “Reason Holo” stickers. These are stickers from the eSports team Reason from the 2014 CS:GO Major in Katowice. Each piece is worth around 40,000 US dollars, resulting in a total value of $160,000 just for the stickers.
So the collector really got a good deal with his purchase. In the embedded tweet, you can see what the good piece looks like with the stickers.
How is this being discussed? In fact, such prices are not uncommon for Counter-Strike skins. A little over 2 years ago, someone already paid nearly $150,000 for the then most expensive skin in the game, also an AK-47 skin.
The most expensive item in CS:GO even costs $1.5 million. Nevertheless, the “AK-47 Wild Lotus Skin” should make it into the top 10 of the most expensive purchases to date, thanks to the stickers (via dexerto). Therefore, there was a lively discussion on Twitter on the topic.
While some users are shocked by the amount and cannot understand why someone would spend so much money on colorful pixels, others disagree. In response to a comment that for that amount, one could also have a brand new Mercedes AMG, the reply is: “People who buy such things already have 10 AMGs, my friend” (via Twitter). What else should they spend all that money on?
At least: The flashy skin will likely not gather dust in a virtual safe: owners often lend their treasures to professional players so they can showcase them at major tournaments.
Also, the German Twitch streamer Marcel “MontanaBlack” Eris is currently opening loot boxes, hoping to hit the big jackpot, but unfortunately his new knife is not “Factory New”:
What kind of game will it be? On March 16, 2023, Shroud announced that he, along with streamer “Sacriel,” is developing a survival shooter that will have an open world.
In a video that Shroud posted on Twitter as part of the announcement, the streamer raised high expectations: “I want to create the best game of all time.”
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Twitch streamers shroud and Sacriel announce their own game in collaboration with Splash Damage.
Which studio is making Shroud’s game? The two streamers will develop their game with the studio “Splash Damage.”
Splash Damage already has experience in developing shooters and has worked on games like GEARS 5 and the Halo Master Chief Collection (via splashdamage.com).
In 2023, the studio also plans to release the cooperative game “Transformers: Reactivate.” Here you can see a trailer:
Start video
Transformers: Reactivate Official Announcement Trailer The Game Awards 2022
What is Shroud’s involvement in the development of the game? In the video on Twitter, Shroud also gives an insight into what he contributes to the game. This mainly concerns the gunplay. As examples, he mentions how the weapon behaves and what the recoil is like.
In conclusion, Shroud emphasizes what is important in the game and says: “The gunplay is very important.”
Shroud and Sacriel are not the first streamers to announce their own game. Dr. Disrespect is also working on his own title, a shooter called “Deadrop,” and has even founded his own development studio called “Midnight Society” for it.
Deadrop is set to be a mix of Battle Royal and Extraction Shooter:
Do you want to make a “best buddy” out of your Pokémon in Pokémon GO? Here you will learn what steps you need to take.
What are “best buddies”? In Pokémon GO, you can always have a “buddy Pokémon” with you. This brings you various bonuses. You can reach a total of 4 friendship levels with these monsters. The “best buddy” is the highest state.
The levels are:
Good Buddy – Pokémon goes on adventures with you, has a noticeable mood
Super Buddy – Pokémon gives you catching assistance, finds gifts
Hyper Buddy – Finds places and souvenirs
Best Buddy – Receives a WP boost and a “Best Buddy Band”
How to increase the buddy level? To increase the buddy level, you need to earn hearts with the Pokémon you have chosen as your buddy. To reach the “Best Buddy” status, you need a total of 300 hearts.
However, hearts are only earned for specific actions and only in limited quantities per day.
How to quickly become a best buddy?
How to collect hearts for a buddy? There are a total of 6 actions that can earn you hearts. Normally, you can reach twelve hearts per day, but there is the exception of the “Excited” state. More about that below.
This is what the normal heart set looks like
Here are the basic actions for which you earn hearts:
“Walk together”: Earns 1 heart every 2 kilometers, up to 3 times a day.
Note: Only counts if your buddy is visible on the map. This works by feeding your buddy well so that he appears on the map.
“Give your buddy a snack”: Always gives 1 heart when you have fed your buddy with 3 berries. Up to 3 times a day.
“Play together”: You need to call your buddy using the “Play!” button in AR mode. There, you have to pet him to earn a heart. Once a day.
“Fight together”: Fight with your buddy in gyms, raids, trainer battles, or against Team Rocket. Up to three times a day.
Tip 1: Your buddy does not have to fight himself. What matters is that he is on the battle team.
Tip 2: You can simply fight against the AI team leaders. You can find them in the PvP area, all the way down in “Training”.
“Take a snapshot”: Take a photo of your buddy in AR mode. Once a day.
“Visit a new place”: Spin at a new gym or an unknown PokéStop when your buddy is following you on the map.
Double heart possibility through “Excited” state: When you put your buddy into the “Excited” mood, you have the chance to earn extra hearts.
You can earn double hearts in Excited mode
In Excited mode, a second set of hearts is unlocked that you can earn. This way, you can earn up to 24 hearts a day.
How do I get my Pokémon into the Excited state? There are two ways to do this.
The simple way is the item “Knursp”. If you feed a Knursp to your buddy, he will immediately be put into the “Excited” mode and you can earn additional hearts.
However, you only get the Knursp rarely, and in the shop, it costs 100 PokéCoins – the same as a raid pass.
Is “Excited” possible without Knursp? Yes, it is possible, but more complicated. You can use the same actions that you need for hearts to improve your buddy Pokémon’s mood. There is a system behind it that is not displayed in the game.
YouTuber PokéDaxi has taken a closer look at this in a video (via YouTube).
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Each buddy action is assigned “Emotion Points”, and you need a total of 32 points to reach the Excited status.
2 km running together brings 4 points
Feeding brings 2 points
Playing brings 2 points
Fighting together brings 2 points. This applies to multiple types of fights, each bringing 2 points
Gyms
Raids
Rocket fights
PvP fights
Team leader fights
A snapshot brings 2 points
Visit a new gym or PokéStop: 2 points
Open a buddy gift: 4 points
Visit a Stop that your buddy has found: 4 points
Important: At the same time, the actions also have a cooldown time of 30 minutes each – except for the walking task. Therefore, you can only earn points with each action every half hour.
However, by combining these actions, it is possible – depending on your own gameplay – to earn the “Excited” mode without using a Knursp.
As a result, it is possible to earn additional hearts and reach the “Best Buddy” status within a shorter time. If you play without “Excited”, but with the maximum number of hearts per day, it will take longer.
12 hearts per day means 25 days until you have collected 300
With a total of 24 hearts per day, the Best Buddy status would also be possible in 13 days.
Have you already got best buddies? How do you collect the hearts for the status? Let us know in the comments!
In Call of Duty: Warzone 2 there is a special skin that you can only obtain with a lot of effort and perseverance. “Appearance” or “Nuke Skin,” as it is called in the community, is very rare. We will show you how to unlock it.
How do I get the Nuke Skin? To obtain the Nuke Skin for your Ranger 1, you must, as its name suggests, earn a Nuke in Warzone 2.
The skin “Appearance” or Nuke Skin
But Activision does not make it easy for you, as the Nuke is only the last step of many exhausting stages you must complete to get the skin. The following is required of you:
Win 5 rounds in a row in Warzone 2
In the sixth match, the “Champion Quest” task will then be unlocked
Now you must collect three components scattered across the map in the same round
Beryllium
Plutonium
Tritium
Once you have collected all components, you must travel to a designated location and build and place the atomic bomb
Now you need to defend the bomb for 2 minutes against all players
Why is the Nuke Skin so rare? The Nuke Skin is so rare because your quest and progress towards the quest are reset as soon as you mess up one of the steps. This means that if you accidentally lose in your 5-win streak, you have to start the streak all over again.
However, even after the streak, you will not have it easy, because if you have all the materials together in a round, your built and placed bomb becomes visible to every player on the map.
Every soldier will now come after you to mess up your plans so that the round does not end prematurely because of your atomic bomb. As you can see, this is a very tough challenge that can only be accomplished by the best players.
Have you already tried this challenge and emerged victorious? Or were you stomped into the ground? Let us know in the comments!
We show you here the two new vehicles from the “Last Dose” update for GTA Online. One of them can only be purchased for a limited time.
What kind of cars are they? With every DLC release of GTA Online, there is also a wave of new cars. Some are available right at the release, while others are staggered over the following weeks.
One of the new cars from the Last Dose DLC is the Willard Eudora. This is a muscle car that will apparently be given a rarity value. The business model of offering certain vehicles for a limited time for purchase was recently started by Rockstar Games in GTA Online. You unlock the second car through missions.
In the overview, we show you the new cars, their prices, and images of them.
Unlock Ocelot Virtue for free
What kind of car is this? The Virtue is a new, swift super sports car that you can buy at Legendary Motorsport. It is an electric vehicle. If you don’t want to buy the car, you can also unlock it through missions.
Players with GTA+ can purchase the Virtue directly at Legendary Motorsport.
How to unlock the car: If you complete all of the new missions from The Last Dose, you will receive the personal Virtue from Dr. Friedlander as a gift as a reward. As an additional reward for completing the missions, you will receive the “FriedMind” design, and you unlock the trade price for the car.
You can equip the Virtue with Imani-Tech at your agency’s auto shop.
What kind of car is this? The Eudora is a muscle car that visually distinguishes itself clearly from the other representatives of the category. Not only the appearance makes the car something special. For the car is only available for sale until March 29. You can find it at San Andreas Super Autos and in the showroom of Premium Deluxe Motorsport.
After March 29, the car will disappear from the market, and it is unclear when and how the Eudora will be available for purchase again. So you might be getting a rare gem for your garage with this car.
How much does it cost? The Eudora costs 1,250,000 GTA Dollars at Southern San Andreas Super Autos.
What do you think of the new cars from the Last Dose update? Will you grab the Eudora because you’re giving in to your “FOMO” and it won’t be available anymore, or do you not care about such cars?
In Pokémon GO, a trainer made an insane catch with the help of a GO Plus. What monster he was able to catch and why the catch is so special, we have summarized for you here on MeinMMO.
What is the GO Plus? The GO Plus is a special catching gadget. Some trainers use it when they don’t have their phone in hand to catch Pokémon on the go or to interact with PokéStops.
The gadget vibrates when an interaction in the game is possible, and a short press of a button can trigger this action by the player. It only has one attempt and does not use berries, only regular Pokéballs. So it is relatively weak and primarily serves as a supplement to normal gameplay.
However, this device has now granted a trainer a very special catch. We will show you which monster it is and what the community thinks about it.
What was caught? As the reddit user cpgxrcia explains in his post, he was on the go with his GO Plus. And this very catching gadget granted him a very special catch: Galar-Zapdos. He writes (via reddit.com): “I am absolutely speechless, my GO Plus caught a Galar-Zapdos!?!!!!” and posted a picture of his catch.
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Why is the catch so special? It is more than understandable that cpgxrcia was speechless when he discovered Galar-Zapdos among his caught Pokémon. The legendary bird is, along with Galar-Lavados and Galar-Arktos, one of the spawns of the daily adventure incense.
This special incense has been around since July 2022 and provides you with special spawns for 15 minutes, as long as you move. One of the highlights are the possible encounters with the legendary Galar birds, which are relatively rare. However, even once you’ve finally found them, they are by no means secure.
In most cases, you only have one attempt to catch the monsters, otherwise they flee. For this reason, it is clear to most trainers that a golden raspberry, a hyperball, and a fantastic curveball throw are necessary, along with a large portion of luck. Because even under the best conditions, they can still flee.
It is all the more special that the GO Plus managed to catch such a bird with just one simple Pokéball and without the use of a berry.
Would you actually cheat if you couldn’t get caught? Vote in our survey about it:
“You’ve exhausted your luck for the next 5 years”
In the community, the trainers are surprised by the catch and are somewhat envious, but allow cpgxrcia his haul. Many of them also hope to finally secure the coveted Galar bird themselves, but have had little success so far.
They can hardly believe that the GO Plus caught it with a normal Pokéball and are sure that cpgxrcia must have exhausted his luck for a while. One can read the following in the comments (via reddit.com):
JesusGodNathan: “With a Pokéball? That’s my dream. Congratulations.”
vishalb777: “The probability of that happening is incredibly low. Congratulations, you’ve used up your luck for the next 5 years.”
thatswhatmyfoodeats: “Congratulations to the AI that caught it.”
GawdDamSuperman: “Look, I say this with all due respect, and I mean ALL due respect, but I hate you. I had 11 attempts, and all of them fled.”
61% (4,772 votes), the majority of participants stated that they had not been able to catch any of the birds yet. Another 1,622 trainers (21%) had not even seen one of these legendary monsters at the time of the voting. Nevertheless, some players were lucky, as 3% (228 votes) were able to obtain two of the birds, and 98 players (1%) even managed to catch all three. The remaining 15% (1,158 votes) had at least been able to catch one of the monsters.
Are you among the lucky ones who have already secured one of the Galar birds? And was this perhaps even caught with the help of your GO Plus? Or are you more focused on other monsters in the game? Feel free to let us know here on MeinMMO and exchange ideas with other trainers about it.
The Swiss “Staiy” (36) is a successful opinion streamer on Twitch. In a recent stream, he spoke about the paid platform OnlyFans and the issues it creates.
What is OnlyFans anyway? At its core, OnlyFans is a social network. Users can create a profile and fill it with information, photos, and videos as they wish. The catch is that the content can be monetized.
The “fans” then have to pay to see the recordings. For additional money, they can also send private messages to the performers and request more content. This makes OnlyFans a popular website for providing erotic and pornographic content.
There is an interesting interface between the platforms Twitch and OnlyFans: Streamers like Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa use the streaming platform to turn viewers into paying customers.
Others also use Twitch for completely different purposes. For example, the German Twitch streamer Sandra Friedrichs wants to use her platform to address mental health in the gaming sector. Check out our interview with the streamer here:
Start video
Twitch streamer wants to change the perception of gaming as Miss Germany: “One should not demonize it, but also not glorify it”
Does OnlyFans contribute to the sexualization of female streamers?
How does Staiy come to this topic? The Twitch streamer expresses his concerns regarding the paid platform in a short segment of a longer stream. In the end, Staiy provocatively states, the problem is the man. However, he asks his viewers to let him finish first.
What is the problem? Staiy emphasizes that women are free to present themselves in revealing clothing, and no one should interfere with that. However, problems arise because an expectation is created among the consumers of this content:
What are the consequences? Some consumers would then assume that all women in a field – such as streaming – behave this way. As a result, female streamers often receive questions in their chats about whether they offer OnlyFans, where one can find erotic content from them – even if they do not present themselves sexually.
For Staiy, the question about OnlyFans is more or less an indirect question about nude pictures, which is invasive and has little to do with feminism and self-determination.
[The target audience] is not interested in perceiving people as people, but only as fleshly objects of desire.
Questions about OnlyFans or direct requests for nude pictures have become frighteningly normal, says the Twitch streamer. However, he also admits that as a man, he has more of an outside view on the topic: affected female streamers and YouTubers have to deal with it.
As an example, he cites the video of the successful YouTuber Gnu:
Are there other problems? Staiy criticizes not only the indirect effects of platforms like OnlyFans. In his opinion, OnlyFans has managed to normalize sex work and sell it as “female empowerment,” almost as women’s power.
[OnlyFans] has managed to normalize sex work, although sex work in its reality is connected to human trafficking, slavery, crime, violence, and much worse things. OnlyFans conveys the impression that sex work is something completely normal: “You go, girl” [translated to German: “Keep it up, girl!”].
Platforms like OnlyFans have thus contributed to making the formerly taboo subject of prostitution almost socially acceptable, according to Staiy. However, while the models on OnlyFans are relatively protected, the “real world” often looks different. The somewhat terrible circumstances are thus relativized.
I have to say, that is an effect that is so ridiculous: People sit in their “safe space” around the internet, where they can create controlled conditions for themselves about what they show and what they do not show. And thereby relativize the criminal circumstances and the absolute absurdity and the disgusting exterior surrounding sex work—yeah, good job.
Sex work is a collective term for sexual services. Besides sexual intercourse for payment, this can also include striptease, pornography, phone sex hotlines, and selling explicit recordings on platforms like OnlyFans. Sex workers are often satisfied with their work and sometimes feel it is an important part of their sexual self-determination. However, such services are not always provided of their own free will: behind them, there can be need, coercion, and even human trafficking. The magazine “Die Zeit” addressed the complex issue in an article.
You can find the full video on Staiy’s YouTube channel, we have linked it for you here. The relevant part starts around minute 7.
The OnlyFans platform has a certain fascination, especially because some women earn incredibly large amounts of money with it. A German YouTuber therefore conducted an experiment and accompanied a Twitch streamer in his OnlyFans attempt:
Battlefront 2 was a highly anticipated shooter in the Star Wars universe in 2017. Publisher EA relied on a progression system built around loot boxes. This could already be tested in the beta and led to one of the biggest shitstorms in gaming. Loot boxes were nearly at the end afterwards.
What happened? In the 2010s, loot boxes were almost indispensable in gaming. Many games used the small surprise bags to sell new cosmetics. However, there were also many games that integrated loot boxes into their progression systems.
To this day, loot boxes are popular – among players and developers. This is evidenced by the continued success of the “Ultimate Team” mode in FIFA. But it could have been much worse.
Because if loot boxes are part of the progression systems, then it is only a few steps to pay-to-win. And no game represents the exploitation with loot boxes more than Battlefront 2.
Battlefront 2 looked really good back then and fulfilled many of the players’ wishes in gameplay. But loot boxes almost ruined that. Here is a gameplay trailer:
Start video
Battlefront 2: Gameplay Trailer
40 hours of gameplay to unlock heroes in a full-price game
It turned out: Through the loot boxes, players could receive upgrades for weapons and abilities in the game. In addition, the boxes could be purchased with premium currency. Pay-to-win was thus confirmed. Because those who buy more boxes directly have better stuff.
After the release, things got worse at first before they improved. Although the microtransactions were removed, progress could only be made through loot boxes. In the time shortly after the release, luck alone determined who got the best equipment.
Players could buy the great heroes of the universe with credits earned in-game. However, players calculated that it would take 40 hours just to unlock Luke Skywalker to gather enough credits. For all heroes, it was 170 hours (via computerbase.de).
So you bought a full-price Star Wars game and couldn’t even play as Darth Vader in conquest mode.
Darth Vader and the other heroes were unreachable at release.
They wanted to “give players a sense of pride and achievement”
What did EA say about that? They calmed things down at every corner. The then CFO Blake Jorgensen said that loot box systems could help improve the overall player experience – if done “correctly”.
However, the real uproar occurred on Reddit. To this day, a statement from the “EA Community Team” holds the record for the post with the most downvotes on the discussion platform: 667,642 (via reddit.com).
Almost 670,000 downvotes on Reddit – To this day a record.
The debate over loot boxes in Battlefront 2 was already in full swing at that point. Players wanted clear statements, but only received explanations and excuses – they claimed they would keep an eye on the data and adjust accordingly, as stated on Reddit.
Even the first sentence of the record post likely triggered many players: “The intention is to give players a sense of pride and accomplishment when they unlock various heroes” (via reddit.com).
Rarely has a sentence so well embodied how far some publishers/developers had distanced themselves from the player base. They did not want to unlock the heroes. They wanted to play them. Especially since you had to rely on luck in the match to even be allowed to select the desired heroes.
At least: Pay-to-win was completely eliminated
What happened after the adjustments? The compromise was ultimately quite acceptable, even if the loot boxes did not disappear completely. Pay-to-win was no longer present; the better versions of the class abilities were then unlocked through the class’s level.
The heroes still had to be unlocked, but less credits were required for that and players also received more credits for playing. The time was reduced to about 10 hours for one of the expensive 15,000-credit heroes and around 40 hours of gameplay for all heroes.
Why did BF2 end the era of loot boxes? The shitstorm surrounding loot boxes in Battlefront 2 was enormous. It showcased the influence of communities on the perception of a game.
After the Battlefront incident, publishers/developers thought twice about whether to include loot boxes as part of progression systems in a game for major PC and console titles.
However, there was still one major game after Battlefront 2 that did not learn this lesson: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. The shooter fell far short of expectations in 2018 and was full of annoying random mechanics. Only after the end of its life cycle did it change through an update.
In BO4, you had to unlock a weapon through loot boxes to use it. The best cosmetics could not be used with the normal weapon. You then needed a special version of the weapon to even use the already unlocked skin. Of course, you could only get this special version with super small probabilities via loot boxes.
For the crazy weapons in Black Ops 4, you also needed crazy luck.
Call of Duty relied on loot boxes for a long time, so-called supply drops, and was practically one of the leading providers, if you will. With Modern Warfare 2019, they switched to premium bundles with set contents, and loot boxes disappeared completely. And success returned.
In retrospect, I want to agree with the then CFO of EA. Loot boxes can be fun and rewarding when used correctly. However, the industry lost a lot of trust back then because they pushed the boundaries – “How much money can be made from this?”.
This is still being paid for today, as new technologies suffer because back then there was a desperate attempt to maximize profit. With Battlefront 2 in mind, the skepticism towards NFTs and blockchain in gaming is absolutely understandable.
Leave your opinion on loot boxes and write a comment on the topic. Did you also feel that Battlefront 2 was an awesome game that was somewhat ruined by the loot boxes?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Magic: The Gathering has released an expansion for ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and a special card will be printed only once.
The popular trading card game ‘Magic: The Gathering’ (MTG) has introduced a new expansion. The special edition contains cards based on the LOTR universe and is called ‘The Lord of the Rings: Tales from Middle-earth’.
One of the cards is so special that it will only be printed once.
What kind of card is it? ‘One card to rule them all,’ it says on the game’s website. LOTR enthusiasts will already suspect that the special card can only be the One Ring.
The ring appears in a special edition as a foil card and is named ‘The 1 of 1 Ring.’ It is also assigned the matching serial number 001 of 001. Additionally, the card is illustrated without a border, which also distinguishes it from the other LOTR cards.
As a special detail, the text on the card is not in German or English, but in the ‘black speech of Mordor’ and thus uses Tengwar characters.
How can you get the card? The card will only be printed once and is only found in a single English-speaking ‘The Lord of the Rings: Tales from Middle-earth’ collector’s booster (via magic.wizards.com).
What other LOTR cards are there? Besides the One Ring, the LOTR expansion from MTG features some well-known characters from the universe of the popular franchise. Here’s an overview:
Frodo, Sauron’s downfall
Samwise the Brave
Gollum, relentless schemer
Gandalf the Grey
Tom Bombadil
Additionally, there are legendary locations like Mount Doom, the Shire, and the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, as well as a card featuring an iconic scene: ‘You shall not pass.’
What is Magic: The Gathering? Magic: The Gathering is a trading card game created by Richard Garfield in 1993. The game is aimed at fantasy and role-playing fans and is published by Wizards of the Coast.
For the 30th anniversary of the trading card game, Magic: The Gathering received a special edition that includes 60 cards and costs nearly 1,000 euros.
Night Crows is a new MMORPG from Korea, set to be released for PC and Mobile. It is scheduled for release in April in Korea, and the developers shared new information and gameplay with fans at an event.
What kind of game is this? Night Crows takes place in a fantasy world inspired by the 13th century, where knights and crusades play a significant role. This is also reflected in the class system.
When creating your character, you always choose a human and have the option of classes including Warrior, Swordfighter, Hunter, or Mage. These classes later split into two specializations each. For example, the Swordfighter can choose to wield a great sword or two one-handed swords, while the Hunter can use a bow or two daggers.
With this character, you can explore the game world:
This world is supposed to be divided into various zones, but they are so vast that it should still feel like an open world.
You can glide and climb to discover more of the world.
The combat system is supposed to be action-packed. Battles primarily take place on the ground, but you should also be able to initiate individual attacks from the air. The developers emphasize that “unrealistic animations” and “flashy skills” have been avoided.
PvE plays a role. There are supposed to be huge bosses that you fight together with other players.
However, the focus is on PvP, where you can battle in large sieges for fortresses with 1,000 players. Here, the developers highlight the known “Deus Vult”. There should also be smaller battlegrounds.
A bit unclear at the moment is the monetization strategy. The publisher Wemade is increasingly focusing on blockchain and NFTs, which are likely to be part of Night Crows. However, there are concerns that this might not generate enough revenue. In the latest QnA, it was only stated that you won’t be able to buy level-ups or “power” and that you can earn the glider freely.
You can watch the individual classes and their gameplay in this new video:
Start video
Night Crow Videos
Night Crows is set to be released in April in Korea, with a global release likely
What was revealed at the latest event? A total of 9 videos were shown at the beginning. The 8 videos above are edited gameplay for the respective class specializations, as well as a story trailer. After that, there was a QnA session.
One of the developers emphasized that Night Crows aims to stand out from other MMORPGs primarily due to its strong graphics in Unreal Engine 5, good level experience, and a “well-implemented economy.” The European medieval setting is also said to play an important role, with early trailers already showing a certain Korean influence.
They also revealed that there are currently 110 employees working on the development.
When is the game coming out? Release discussions have also taken place. Night Crows is expected to be released in April in Korea, and you can already pre-register for it now. However, a Korean phone number is required.
While the focus is currently on the release in Korea, work is reportedly already underway on a Chinese version as well. Wemade has also acquired the rights for a global release.
What do you think about Night Crows? Would it be an MMORPG that should make it to the West – especially if it would refrain from NFTs and blockchain? Or would the game struggle here?
In addition to Night Crows, several other MMORPGs for PC are currently in development:
There is stress in the chess corner of the streaming service Twitch. At an awards ceremony, the Botez sisters, Alexandra and Andrea, received an award as the “Chess Streamers of the Year 2022.” The actual favorite for the award, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, came away empty-handed in 2022 and 2023. He scoffed: He doesn’t care, the Botez sisters will never win anything in real chess anyway.
What triggered the dispute? The streamer QTCinderella has been hosting the “Streamer of the Year” awards since 2022, akin to the unofficial Oscars on Twitch. There were a bunch of prizes to win: Asmongold was named the MMORPG Streamer of the Year in 2023, Boxbox the Top Strategist, and Tyler1 won the award for LoL.
Because chess is a big deal on Twitch, since “The Queen’s Gambit” was such a success on Netflix, the award for “Best Chess Streamer” was also presented in 2023.
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Das Damengambit im Trailer
Nakamura is the strongest and biggest chess streamer on Twitch – Loses 2 times at the award ceremony
These streamers were nominated for Chess Streamer of the Year 2023:
BotezLive – the Canadian sisters won in 2022
GM Hikaru – the 35-year-old is the biggest chess streamer on Twitch and one of the best players in the world
Anna Cramling – the 20-year-old Spaniard was nominated for the first time in 2023
Levy “GothamChess” Rozman – who ultimately won the title.
In 2022, the title was won by the Botez sisters, also ahead of GM Hikaru.
Hikaru Nakamura.
Why is this particularly noteworthy? GM Hikaru is the biggest chess streamer on Twitch:
GM Hikaru has 11.83 million viewed hours and an average of 10,037 viewers
GothamChess has just 2.9 million viewed hours with an average of 4,467 viewers
The Botez sisters have only 684,185 hours with 6,675 viewers
In terms of viewer numbers, Nakamura plays in a different league than the competition and is therefore actually a favorite for victory.
Nakamura proves to be a bad loser: “I don’t care”
This was Hikaru’s reaction to his loss: The usually lovable Grandmaster appeared pretty much as a bad loser on Twitch. He said in a stream: He doesn’t care. He has won so much, so many prizes, he won’t get super mad about something like this:
“If you ask me, should I really care when I have won things like the US Championship? Of course, I don’t care. If you look at Levy, if you look at the Botez, or these people, they will never win anything when it comes to chess. That’s the truth. So why should it bother me that they win these awards?”
How are the sisters reacting? They are having fun with the sulking Grandmaster. In a video, Alexdrana Botez first shows his sulky statements and then delightfully edits together the two awards ceremonies where Hikaru gets beaten both times.
Even their sister proudly writes: “Hello? I was the Canadian national champion (in girls under 8).”.
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What’s behind it: Even though Hikaru Nakamura seems lovable, he is extremely ambitious as one of the best chess players in the world. In his view, the co-nominees simply do not play in his league:
Nakamura is currently ranked 6th in the world rankings with a blitz rating of 2,879
The 2023 winner Levy Rozman is ranked 3,628 in blitz with 2,376 points
Alexandra Botez is ranked 25,859 with her rating of 2,059
An example that pure skill is not everything on Twitch.
